don Quijote Tenerife

Our don Quijote school is located in the Edificio Bélgica, a traditional Canaries building. Just 5 minutes walking from the Martiánez Beach, 2 minutes from the famous ‘Lagos Martiánez’ and 10 minutes from the City Hall. The school has 7 well lit classrooms, a teachers’ room, a patio, office, multimedia classrooms, and a recreation area with television, hi-fi, library and videos. Due to its magnificent location you will be just minutes from beautiful beaches and recreational opportunities. don Quijote offers you the opportunity to switch between schools in Spain, or even between Spain and Mexico with guaranteed continuity and progression in the learning process. As one of the numerous possibilities, you can start your stay in a Spanish tropical paradise, the island of Tenerife, obtain a nice tan, get involved with the charm of Granada, discover Sevilla and its famous Spanish customs, go to Valencia with a stretch of almost 200 kilometres of sandy beaches, continue with the historical Salamanca and to finish... You still have more possibilities!

There are two international airports in Tenerife. Tenerife is the largest island of the Canary archipelago. Tenerife called “the island of eternal spring”, the average temperature here is 27 degrees Celsius. A mountain chain runs through its centre. In the heart of this chain, there is a gigantic crater: Teide (the highest peak in Spain). It offers one of the most spectacular landscapes of the world. Tenerife has beaches with soft, clean sand that is sometimes black (from its volcanic origin) and sometimes golden. One of the most attractive and popular sites of the whole island is The Loro Parque with magnificent botanical gardens, the largest aquarium with penguins in Europe and exciting attractions. The carnival of Tenerife is a world-famous festivity and takes place all over the island but it shines with all its splendour in Puerto de la Cruz and Santa Cruz. Tenerife is an authentic paradise for Windsurfing and Scuba diving. Critical comment: Puerto de la Cruz is a small village and does not have all the advantages of a big city.

At the don Quijote schools we use an interactive method of teaching based on learning by practice. That means that grammar is covered – after all, one of the key building blocks of any language - as much as possible by using practical situations. Speaking and actively using the language is central to the continuous interaction between teacher and student. don Quijote has refined the communicative teaching method by constantly evaluating and applying students suggestions. Successfully implementing the interactive method totally depends on the personal attention your teacher is able to give you. Our groups never have more than eight students on all intensive and super-intensive courses. We determine the make-up of the group according to students’ abilities. The first day of the course begins with an oral and written test. (Although, if you know you are a beginner, you will start directly in a beginners group). We work with six levels, fixing the goals for each based on our experience and in accordance with the curriculum of the Instituto Cervantes. When you have finished the course, you will receive a certificate of participation from don Quijote noting that you have taken part in at least 90% of the lessons.

Homestay: It is good to know that most of the host families have worked with us since the beginning. The families know from experience what the role of a host is. Accommodation in a host family allows you to get the maximum out of your course. Nowhere else will you so directly experience real Spanish life. Nothing could be better to help improve your language skills. The word “family” should not be taken too literally, because your family could also be just a single parent who takes in students because he or she enjoys the company. You wouldn’t be the first to go out together, or to keep in contact with your family after your return home. You can choose from a room with breakfast, half-board (breakfast and you can choose between a cooked meal in the afternoon at about two o’clock or light dinner at ten) or full-board (breakfast and two meals). It is obvious that you will have to adjust a little to the rules of the house. Remember, too, that locals have different eating habits. Apart from that, you are free to do what you want. You will be given your own keys, so you can come and go as you like. During your home-stay you will be able to receive phone calls. Student Flat: You share a student flat with four or five other don Quijote students. We always do our best to accommodate you in a student flat with different nationalities. The student flats are not very luxurious but they have all the basic facilities (a bed, chair and wardrobe). Each student flats has a living room with TV, a fully equipped kitchen, a washing machine and iron. In student flats there are no telephones available.

The number and diversity of excursions to interesting places in the vicinity at the weekends is great. There is no question of a standard offering. The students have an important voice in the excursion destination. The excursions, for which you will pay a nominal fee, only go ahead if a sufficient number of people take part. The activities and excursions are announced weekly in the office, where you can go with any queries or to put your name down. Sports enthusiasts can really enjoy themselves at don Quijote: aerobics, basketball, fitness training, golf, hockey, swimming, football, tennis, horse riding and much more. Ask in the office about practising individual sports.